You are browsing the archive for Paul Krugman.

The reality is that our two major political parties are engaged in a fierce struggle over the future shape of American society. Democrats want to preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and add to them a universal guarantee of essential health care. Republicans want to roll all of that back, making room for drastically lower taxes on the wealthy. Yes, it’s essentially a class war. Continue Reading

It’s true that the shooter in Arizona appears to have been mentally troubled. But that doesn’t mean that his act can or should be treated as an isolated event, having nothing to do with the national climate. Continue Reading

What’s the economic logic behind the government’s moves? The answer, as far as I can tell, is that there isn’t any. Press German officials to explain why they need to impose austerity on a depressed economy, and you get rationales that don’t add up. Point this out, and they come up with different rationales, which also don’t add up. Continue Reading